Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-12-31
MODERN MAGICIANS.
A Description OF Sons of Their Vyor dsrfal
TRICKS,

Description OF Sons of Their Wonderful
TRICKS.
Cosmopolitan.
When Frederick Gerstsecker accomps-
MED the Duke OF Coburg to Eastern
Africa, the incognito Of his SOVEREIGN
friend was dropped st Cairo, where q
German banker treated them TO dinner
of Fatherland fare, followed by an exhibit
ton OF local talent, fife concerts, Arabian
dances and legerdemsin. The exponent
of the latter accomplishment produced d
copper dice bCX and repeatedly emptied
it on the carpet alternating his throws
with predictions that were lost upon the
foreigners; but after series of similar
preliminaries invited his audience TO an
open terrace. snd in the plain light Of the
evening sun flung up number CT
transparent balls that disappeared at an
apparent height of some eighty feet above
the foot of the esplanade. The globes
were colorless and pelucid like white
glass, but as light as gum,
and were repeatedly submitted
to the examination of the spectators.
After passing from hand to hand
they we're put in en- open vessel, shaped
somewhat like { short-hended dipper,
and leaning back until MS outstretched
arm nesrly touched the glound, the
wizard then flung them straigh; up in the
air, where they could be seen elittipg for
moment lice icicies Or large glass pearls.
But nobody ever saw them fall down
agai1, though the scene CT the expert
ment WAS surrounded ty q laIge, level
lut he ir 70
*hem ike globes Of dissolviua vspOr..
Could they have evaporated or exploded
into spray of minute particles (sfter the
manner of Prince Rupert's dropl?") A
sleight-of hand trick was clearly out Of
the question, but 8 more tenable e1plana.
ton of the phenomenon would have
puzzled chemist ss much as an orticisn.
Gerstaecker tries in vain 70 brite tbs
wizard into e hint on the composition of
his missiles, and was not much luckier in
Batavia, where PArsee juggler treated
the Dutch residents 20 novel msn,anzs.
or killing show, in the circus OF the old
city bull rirg.
His victims were number OF worth
less ours which their owners or captors
had brought along with the distinct IN
Outstanding that their entries would not
survive the incidents OF the performance
With no weapon but light stick (p0ssi-
bly, tube) some six feet long by an inch
In diameter, the performer entered the
arena, snd then invited the patrons to
start their pets, one at timea A lank
hound, almost Hairless with msnge,
opened the festivities By making a rush
around the ring, but stopped short on
finding his way barred By the still IGnkef
professor, and retreeted after displaying
his few remaining teeth. The necro-
m1ncer held his staff az arms
length, still facing the dog,
who presently began to staggegil
and two minutes sfter had died in caa
WILSON'S. a second cur managed to4FunI
the blockade by lesplng over the extendedI
staff, but soon after began to snow s'gnsI
Of distress and before the end Of the thirdI
minute had shared the fate Of his prede-I
cessor. Dog after dog entered the
ring in quick succession, some of theml
stopping in surprise and smiling st theI
corpses Of their doomed forerunners, bull
all finsily approached the possessor OF the
fatal secret, or even snapped at his naked
skins, and not one of the thousand spec,I
tators saw him strike direct blow, OF
defend himself in any way suggesting 81
mechanical explanation Of the uniform
result. He would merely lit his stat
with nenscing gesture or permit
blockade runner TO touch it in darling by
hut in no instance was their occasion for
REPEATING that touch. The victims had
hardly time to complete the circuit CT tle
ring before their gate underwent a pecu-
liar change; they would drag themselves
along and stagger, or start as under sue
den blow, then roll over and die in the
convulsions ChsracteriZine the effeciSI
OF certain virulent drugs. They lad evil
dently been poisoned; but how? A post
norton inquest failed to reveal as much
as scratch or puncture. A poisoned
arrow could not have entirely disap
peared, while gaseous poison would ha we
betrayed itself by i,s odor or by its ELECTS
on the person of the performer. After
the conclusion of the matanzs Mr.. Gets
taecker secured private interview with
the artist, and in vain offered him a hO-
eral inducement to explain the mo6us
operandi of his trick. The PArsee seemed
br1be proof. but at last took his temtter
aside, and, in 3 whisper, guaranteed the
results OF his professional assistance il
MYnheer should wish to try the efficacy
of his art by sn experiment on two
legged subject-the amount Of the prof
fered compensation having evidently
suggested q conjecture that the enter
prisirg foreigner was contemplating the
removal of some obno xious fellow b1ped.